Your decision to imbibe on Dec. 31 could leave you with more than a major headache on Jan. 1.

Catastrophe awaits around virtually every corner: Drunken driving deaths spike on New Year’s Day, and single-car crashes soar. If that’s not enough to convince you to stay at home, it’s the deadliest day for pedestrians, and more vehicles are stolen to ring in the New Year than on any other holiday.

“The best thing you can do to keep yourself safe is stay off the road,” says Maria Cashy, claims customer service process leader at Progressive Insurance.

More than half of all fatal New Year’s Day traffic accidents from 2008 to 2012 involved at least one driver with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher, research done for CarInsurance.com by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found.

During those five years, 612 people died on New Year’s Day, and 54 percent of those crashes involved a drunken driver.

Even walking can be dangerous after a night out on the town. Of those 612 people who died, 101 were pedestrians, and 59 percent of them had a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.08 percent.

And you can’t always blame the other guy when bad things occur.

Here’s a resolution for you: Stay off the road

A study by Progressive Insurance found that single-vehicle claims skyrocketed 30 percent on New Year’s Day 2012. In 2012, Jan. 1 fell on a Sunday, and Progressive compared the number of claims from that date to the number of claims on the two Sundays before Jan. 1, 2012, and the two Sundays after it.

While Progressive won’t release the total number of claims for New Year’s Day 2012, the company found there was a:

76 percent increase in single-vehicle rollovers.

59 percent increase in single vehicles running off the road and striking an object.

29 percent increase in single vehicles swerving to avoid something and hitting an object.

19 percent increase in striking an object in the road.

While the number of multi-vehicle accidents also increased, they were outpaced by single-vehicle crashes. Cashy can’t say precisely why, but icy roads, more people out and about, and more late-night driving could all come into play.

Dude, where’s my car?

New Year’s Day also is a favorite for car thieves. Data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau found that New Year’s Day was the busiest holiday for auto thefts in 2012.

“The thing we can’t determine from the report is motive,” NICB spokesman Frank Scafidi says. “I would just venture to guess alcohol and drugs” are a factor. “When people are drunk they do stupid things.”

Each day, an average of 2,066 vehicles are stolen across the country. But on New Year’s Day 2012, thefts jumped to 2,228.

Labor Day was the second most popular holiday for auto thieves in 2012, with 2,158 vehicles stolen.

More drunks on New Year’s

When it comes to traffic fatalities, between 2008 and 2012, the number of holiday deaths on New Year’s Day actually came in second to the Fourth of July.

During that time, 637 people were killed in traffic accidents on July 4, making it the deadliest holiday. But only 42 percent of those deaths involved at least one driver whose blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit.

Those New Year’s Day drinkers must quickly sober, because during that five-year span there were only 341 traffic fatalities on Jan. 2 — the lowest number for any date of the year.

If you need to hit the town to celebrate the New Year, Cashy recommends calling a cab or having a designated driver.

If you drive, make sure you’re covered

If you’re behind the wheel and get into a single-vehicle crash, you could be paying plenty out-of-pocket.

Most states require motorists to carry liability insurance, but it only covers injuries you cause to another person, or damages you cause to someone else’s property. It doesn’t cover injuries or damages you cause to yourself.

Collision coverage kicks in when you damage your vehicle. Drivers of older vehicles often drop their collision coverage, but if you get in a wreck, you’ll be paying for the repairs out-of-pocket, or if your car is totaled, you’ll have to spring for a new car.

If you injure yourself, medical payments insurance will cover the costs of treating your injuries or those of any passengers.

A dozen states, including New York and Florida, require residents to carry personal injury protection. This covers not only your injuries, but also things such as lost wages and costs for rehabilitation.

You won’t be covered for theft unless you have comprehensive coverage.

Before you go out and top up your glass to celebrate the New Year, it’s worth your while to check your car insurance and make sure it’s topped up, too.

Pier 1 Imports takes up to 90% off its selection of clearance items. (Prices are as marked.) Shipping starts at $5, but orders of $49 or more qualify for free shipping via coupon code "FREESHIP49". (In-store pickup my also be available for a number of items.)

Pier 1 Imports takes up to 90% off its selection of clearance items. (Prices are as marked.) Shipping starts at ... Read
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Updated: 1 week 1 day ago

Macy's takes up to 70% off a selection of men's and women's clearance shoes. (Eligible items are marked.) Even better, cut an extra 30% off via coupon code "VIP". Pad your order with a beauty item (they start at $3) to bag free shipping; otherwise, shipping adds $10.95 or free on orders of $99 or more. Deal ends March 25. A couple of best bets, with prices after discount:

The North Face takes up to 40% off a selection of men's, women's, and kid's apparel. (Prices are as marked.) ... Read
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Updated: February 19, 2018

Crocs takes an extra 50% off its men's, women's, and kids' clearance styles during its Semi-Annual Clearance Event. (The discount applies in cart.) Shipping adds $4.99, or get free shipping on orders of $24.99 or more. That's tied with our September mention as the best no-minimum extra discount we've seen from Crocs in the past year. Deal ends March 20. A couple of best bets, with prices after discount:

Crocs takes an extra 50% off its men's, women's, and kids' clearance styles during its Semi-Annual Clearance Event. (The discount ... Read
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Updated: 3 days 3 hr ago

Dick's Sporting Goods takes up to 75% off a selection of clearance apparel, shoes, camping gear, sports items, and more. Shipping adds $5.99, although orders of $49 or more receive free shipping. (Large items may incur additional fees, as free shipping only covers up to $15 off the shipping cost. In-store pickup is also available for select items.) A couple of best bets:

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Updated: 1 week 2 days ago

adidas via eBay cuts an extra 25% off select men's, women's, and kids' shoes and apparel. (Discount applies in cart.) Plus, all orders receive free shipping. A couple of best bets, with prices after the in-cart discount:

Hanes cuts up to 70% off its clearance items. Plus, all orders receive free shipping via coupon code "SHIPFREE". (Shipping normally adds $7.99 for all orders under $60.) Sizes and stock are limited for some items.

Columbia offers its Columbia Men's Powder Lite Hooded Jacket in several colors (Black pictured) for $59.99. Coupon code "COLMARCH60" cuts it to $47.99. Plus, Greater Rewards members receive free shipping. (Not a member? It's free to sign up.) That's the lowest price we could find in any color by $50. It's available in most sizes from S M to XXL. Deal ends March 27.

SanDisk Outlet Store takes up to 75% off a selection of USB flash drives, memory cards, headphones, and more. Plus, get an extra 10% off via coupon code "10OffOutletFS". Even better, the same code nets free shipping. Some exclusions apply. A couple of best bets, with prices after coupon:

For AMC Stubs Premiere members only, and with availability limited by ZIP code, Gofobo offers two tickets to an advanced screening of Ready Player One at select AMC Theatres nationwide for free. The viewing is scheduled for March 21 at 7 pm local time; tickets may sell out quickly.

Note: Although you can reserve your tickets without an AMC Stubs Premiere membership, you must show your membership card at your theater to redeem your ticket. The movie is scheduled for release on March 29.

For AMC Stubs Premiere members only, and with availability limited by ZIP code, Gofobo offers two tickets to an advanced ... Read
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Updated: 3 days 20 hr ago

Newegg offers the ASUS N600 Dual 802.11n Wireless Extender for $4.99 with free shipping, via the directions below. That's the lowest price we could find by $45. It supports speeds of up to 300Mbps on either 2.4GHz or 5Ghz channels. Rebate expires March 20. To get this deal:

At participating locations on April 2, Little Caesars will offer a freelunch combo with no purchase necessary. That's around a $5 savings, courtesy of 16-seed UMBC ousting the top-seeded Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. This offer is valid from 11:30 am to 1 pm local time. Other terms and conditions apply.

H&M takes up to 70% off a select items as part of its Big Spring Sale. (Prices are as marked.) Shipping adds $5.99, but orders of $40 or more receive free shipping via coupon code "0040". Kids' items start at $1.99, men's shirts at $3.99 $5.99, and women's dresses at $3.99.

H&M takes up to 70% off a select items as part of its Big Spring Sale. (Prices are as marked.) ... Read
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Updated: 2 days 18 hr ago

Reebok via eBay takes up to 75% off shoes and apparel as part of its Friends & Family Sale. (Prices are as marked.) Plus, all orders bag free shipping. Sizes and stock may be limited. A couple of best bets:

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Updated: 2 days 19 hr ago

IKEA has dropped its shipping charges, with large item delivery starting now at a staggering low of $29! Wait, what? Yes, you heard correctly. With a previous starting price of $99 (and current maximum price of $59) for large items, that yields a $70 savings in many cases. Plus, the shipping rate for small items has been reduced from a starting price of $10 to a flat rate of $9. Although we briefly saw free shipping on orders of $250 or more in October, it still yields some of the greatest widespread savings we've ever seen from IKEA.

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Updated: February 14, 2018

Udemy continues to offer a selection of online courses for free. Each course includes hours of content, and most are by far the best deals we could find for such classes. Here are a few interesting ones:

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Updated: 1 week 5 hr ago

Lowe's takes up to 75% offclearance items, with prices starting from 74 cents. (Most prices are as marked, but some items receive discounts in cart.) Plus, MyLowe's members bag free shipping on most orders. (Not a member? It's free to join. Larger items may incur oversized shipping fees.) A couple of best bets:

Lowe's takes up to 75% off clearance items, with prices starting from 74 cents. (Most prices are as marked, but ... Read
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Updated: 3 days 2 hr ago

This summer, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe. Sign up here for free to put your name in a memory card that will fly aboard the craft. A meaningless gesture, but no less cool for that (so-to-speak).

The probe is designed to get closer to the sun than any spacecraft in history and collect new data on solar activity and its effects on Earth; it will orbit the sun at around 450,000 miles per hour (which would take you from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. in one second). The launch window for the probe is between July 31 and August 19, and it should make its first close approach in December 2024. The deadline for submitting your name is April 27.

This summer, NASA will launch the Parker Solar Probe. Sign up here for free to put your name in a ... Read
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Updated: 1 day 19 hr ago

Shively Sporting Goods via eBay offers the adidas Men's Climalite Game Time Polo Shirt in White for $9.99 with free shipping. That's $3 under our September mention and is the lowest price we could find by $17. It's available in size S only.

JCPenney takes up to 70% off a selection of Columbia men's and women's clearance styles. Shipping adds $8.95, although orders of $99 or more bag free shipping. (Ship-to-store pickup is also available for $3.95 and free for most orders over $25; free same-day pickup may also be available for select items.) A couple of best bets:

JCPenney takes up to 70% off a selection of Columbia men's and women's clearance styles. Shipping adds $8.95, although orders ... Read
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Updated: 1 week 4 days ago

Costco offers its members the Carmen Rug Collection Area Rug in several sizes and styles (Barlow pictured) from $94.99 with free shipping. (Non-member surcharges start at $6.) That's a savings of $25 to $50 on each size. They're available in select sizes from 5'3"x7' to 8'8"x13'. Deal ends March 30.